Cleaning and separating kapok fiber from its seed and impurities.



F'. C. GAMMONS. CLEANING AND SBPARATING KAVPOK FIBER PROM I-TS SEED ANDIMPURITIES.

APPLIOATIoiw FILED un 24, 1907.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

` 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

www umm 1HE Nomus Eriks ca., w'nsmNcfoN, n. c.

E. C. GAMMONS. CLEANING AND SEPARATING KAPOK FIBER FROM ITS SEED ANDIMPURITIES.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 24, 1907.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

-3 SHEETB-A-SHEET 2.

JLL

f2/@Humanes i s l hm, n.

; @travaux/S 1HE Hemus sans co.. wAsnlNcToN, n. c,

P. G. GAMMONS.

CLEANING AND SBPARATING KAPOK FIBER FROM ITS SEED AND IMPURITIES.

APPLIOATION IEILLDl MAY 24, 1907.

907,330. Patented Dee. 22, 1908.

3 SHBETB-SHBET 3.

rus Manns PETER: m.A WASHINGTON. la4 c.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

FERDINAND C. GAMMONS, OF BRIDGEWATER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOCONTINENTAL GIN COMPANY, `OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE.

CLEANING AND SEPARATING KAPOK FIBER FROM ITS SEED AND IMPURITIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

Application filed May 24, 1907. Serial No. 375,532.

o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND C. GAM- MONs, of Bridgewater, in thecounty of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in Cleaning and Separating 'Kapok Fiber from itsSeed and Impurities; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and ex act description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to thegures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for cleaning or`separating ne rous substances from the seed and other material of anon-fibrous character, the apparatus of the present invention beingparticularly designed for handling asilky ber most generally known askapok, the tree bearing the same being of the genus EMOdendron of whichthere are several ber bearing species. While the ber is abundant thecommercial value of the same has. been limited by the difficultiesheretofore encountered in quickly and cheaply separating from the seedportions of the od, and other impurities mingled therewit when gathered.

The seed readily separate from the ber and the ber is apt to adherestrongl to ortions of the pod, but as between t e ers themselves thereis little or no felting quality or tendency to cling together or adhereone to another and therefore apparatus such as has heretofore been usedfor ginning cotton has been found of little practical value in handlingthis particular ber. The result is that the ber heretofore marketed hasbeen very imperfectly separated from the seed and impurities by aprimitive method of beating up the ber in a receptacle and allowinfy theseed etc. to gravitate to the bottom ofD the receptacle.

Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure l is an end elevation ofa complete apparatus for handling kapok in accordance with the presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the body of the machinelooking toward the left hand end,`the point of view being opposite tothat of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a fragment of thesaws, notched late and wiper, as they appear in the chamber whichcorresponds to the roll box in an ordinary cotton gin. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section through the brush, saw, cylinder etc., some partsbeing broken away and some shown in elevation to illustrate details ofconstruction more clearly.

Like letters of reference in the several gures indicate the satne parts.

As shown in Fig. 1, the complete apparatus preferably embodies a feederA for advancing the fibrous material in its raw state to the separatingand ginning mechanism B, and a condenser C to which the cleaned andginned ber is delivered. Said feeder and condenser are of the well knowntypes now in common use in connection with cotton ginning machinery andtherefore specific description or illustration ofthe mechanical detailsof the same is unnecessary.

The mechanism for cleaning and ginning the ber is shown in detail inFigs. 2,3 and 4, and by reference to these figures of the drawing, itwill be seen that the raw ber is delivered by the feeder into a chamberD, through the lower portion of which a saw cylinder E extends. This sawcylinder is composed of alternately arranged saws e and pace rings omounted on a through shaft journaled in the frame and rotated from anysuitable source of power through ulleys E2. ,At the opposite end of thes aft from pulleys E2 is a pulley E3, from which through gearing shownin Fig. l, the brush, wiper and huller or spiked roller are driven, aswill presently appear. v

The s ace rings e -of the saw cylinder are of but s ightly less diameterthan the saws, thus where twelve inch saws are employed, spacing ringsof eleven and one half inch dleitmeter have been found to give good resuts.

No ribs such as are employed in cotton gins are necessary, but above thesaw cylinder, a concave comb or notched plate G is mounted on the breastin position for the downwardly and forwardly projecting teeth orprojections g (see Fig. 3) to enter between the saws and lie inproximity to the space rings. Comparatively narrow spaces are leftthrough the comb or concave around the teeth of the saws.

Immediately in front of the concave is a wiper, preferably in the formof a roll I-I having tangential blades or wings h, rovided with notchesh for the passage of t e saws. The wiper is so positioned that theblades will pass close to the saw cylinder and concave, the projectionsor portions of the blades between the notches preferably passing intoshaft around idler L, pulley L and pulley L2- A secondv belt from a' thespaces between the saws and as closely as possible to the space rings.

ln front of the saw cylinder is a huller or spiked roller H2 whichpractically bridges the discharge opening for the seed and trash, thespikes h2 of the roller being curved backwardly to the direction ofrotation ofthe roll and being set alternately lengthwise of the roll andopposite the spaces between the saws transversely of the roll. rlfheends of the spikes preferably pass into the spaces between the saws,while the roller itself is preferablybut not necessarily located abouton a level with the axis of the saw cylinder. The arrangement isdesigned with a view to insuring a proper action of the saws on thefiber, which fiber, it will be remembered has little or no tendency tocling together and hence will not readily lead into the saws after aportion has been engaged therewith. In rear of the saw cylinder isabrush K which in its location, arrangement and operation corresponds tothe brushes in common usein cotton ginning machines.

While any preferred connecting gearing adapted to impart necessaryrotation may be employed, in the arrangement shown, a belt F passes fromthe large pulley E3 on the saw on the brush shaft. pulley L3 connectedwith pulley L', passes around a pulley L4 on the wiper roll shaft. Thehuller or spiked roll is preferably driven by friction pulleys M M M2,the first and last being located on the saw and roll shaftsrespectively, while the intermediate pulley M is journaled on a bellcrank lever M3 and is held up to its work by a spring lV 4'.

The brush is partially inclosed by a segmental plate N at the front andthrough the upper part of'which the saws travel while beneath the brushis an adjustable mote board O leading back to the duct P through whichthe lint is discharged to the condenser.

In operation the fiber fed into the chest above the saws is thrown bythe huller or spiked roll against the saws. The saw teeth fill withfiber which is carried back under the wiper the latter knocking back allforeign material including the small seed; the fiber remaining on thesaws is carried through the comb and nally removed by the brush andblown to the condenser. The machine does not carry a hard roll of fiberas does a cotton gin, but the roll carried is loose and fluffy and maywell be termed a romping roll.

'Ihe arrargement of the wiper with relation to the saws and comb is suchthat no clogging can occur. Said wiper thus not only prevents theaccumulation of seed and other impurities in front of the comb wherethey would tend to accumulate because of the non-adherence ornon-clinging character of the fiber, but it exerts a beating andwillowing action on the mass aiding in the sepa- Vthe roll box fromwhich the fiber is drawn by the saws leaving the box unobstructed forthe reception of the body of fiber which rests by gravity on or againstthe saw cylinder and. forms, as before stated, a light fluffy roll, thearrangement being one u nich will permit the fibers to be carried bodilyby thesaws, even though there be no tendency of the fibers to clingtogether or lead.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. in a machine for treating kapok and like silky fiber to separate thesame from the seed and impurities, the combination with the roll box,saw cylinder on which the fiber in the box rests by gravity and combbetween the teeth of which the saws travel, of a wiper located at thatside of the box from which the fiber is withdrawn by the saws and havingblades moving in a reverse direction to the saws and in proximity to thesaws and teeth of the comb substantially as described.

l2; Inv a machine for treating kapok and` like silky fiber to separatethe same from the seed and impurities, thecombination with the roll box,saw cylinder on which the fiber in the box rests by gravity embodyingsaws and space rings intermediate the saws and a comb having teethprojecting between the saws and into proximity to the space rings, of awiper located at that side of the box from which the fiber is drawn bythe saws and having blades moving in a reverse direction to the saws andin proximity to the comb teeth and saws; substantially as described.

3. In a machine for treating kapok and like silky fiber to separate thesame from the seed and impurities, the combination with the roll box,saw cylinder on which the roll of fiber rests loosely by gravityembodying saws having projecting teeth and spacers intermediate thesaws, of a wiper located at that side of the box from which the fiber isdrawn by the saws rotating in reverse direction to the saw cylinder andhaving projecting portions passing between .the saws and into proximityto the spacers.

4. In a machine for treating kapok and like silky fiber to separate thesame from the seed and impurities, the combination with the saw cylinderembodying saws and spacers intermediate the saws, of a wiper rotating inreverse direction to the saw cylinder and having notched wiper blades,the projecting portions of which pass in between the saws.

5. In a machine for treating kapok and like silky fiber to separate thesame from the seed and impurities, the combination with the saw cylinderembodying saws and spacers intermediate the saws, of a segmental combplate having its teeth projecting in between the saws and a wiper havingextended flat wiper blades adapted to operate in the concave side of thecomb plate and having projecting portions adapted to pass in between thesaws in proximity to the comb teeth.

6.1111 a machine for treating kapok and the like silky :liber toseparate the same from the seed and impurities the combination with theroll box, saw cylinder projecting into the lower portion of the rollbox, the comb having its teeth projecting between the saws and therotary wiper located at one side of the roll box and having wipingblades traveling in roxirnity to the comb and saw cylinder and)reversely to the saws, said comb and wiper being located above the saw clinder, of a rotary spiked roller located in ront of the saw cylinderand bridging the discharge opening for seeds and trash and a rotarybrush located in rear of the saw cylinder for receiving the fiber fromthe saws; substantially as described.

FERDINAND C. GAMMONS. Witnesses:

SAMUEL P. GATES, FRANK E. SWEET.

